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Speaker 1: Qi m R. Berghoffer. Scientists are extremely concerned about the

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Speaker 1: potential for further outbreaks of Japanese and Cephalaitis virus across

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Speaker 1: the country, partly due to two a third consecutive La Nina.

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Speaker 1: Now the Northern Territories had three cases of the virus

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Speaker 1: in humans, with je spread by mosquitoes. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line is the Chief Health Officer, doctor Jackie Murdoch.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Jackie.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, thanks for having me.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning. Now

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Speaker 1: do you share the concerns of other scientists about these

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Speaker 1: further outbreaks.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, we are concerned about what may happen with

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Speaker 2: Japanese and kevaliitis cases once the rains start up again.

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Speaker 2: What we've seen in the Northern Territory is that we've

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Speaker 2: had a couple of cases in twenty twenty one and

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Speaker 2: then one case in twenty twenty two. So we're concerned

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Speaker 2: that this is going to continue.

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Speaker 1: Now does the does it sort of you know, the

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Speaker 1: fact that we are expecting all that we've got that

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Speaker 1: third consecutive landing, what kind of impact does that have

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Speaker 1: and the predicted above average cyclone season, what kind of

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Speaker 1: you know what kind of risk I guess does that

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Speaker 1: create for us when it comes to JE.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's really hard to say because it's a new

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Speaker 2: disease in Australia. But you know, we know that there

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Speaker 2: are more mosquitos when there's more water around, and our

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Speaker 2: mosquito activity really picks up once the monsoonal rains start,

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Speaker 2: and this particular mosquito that can spread Japanese in caphalitis

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Speaker 2: will pick up when there'll be more of them around

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Speaker 2: once that rain starts, probably December and then into the

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Speaker 2: wet season.

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Speaker 1: All right. So at this point in time, we've not,

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Speaker 1: by the sounds of it, not had any further cases

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Speaker 1: detected in the Northern Territory in people at this stage.

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Speaker 2: No, And I guess that's to be expected because that

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Speaker 2: those mosquito you know, the mosquito numbers do decrease around

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Speaker 2: in the dry season, but we get concerned once they

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Speaker 2: once they pick up. So we have had those two

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Speaker 2: cases in twenty twenty one and then one case in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty two. But we have been doing surveillance around

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Speaker 2: feral pigs as well, and we've found fifty five feral

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Speaker 2: pigs so far infected with Japanese and cavalitis around you know,

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Speaker 2: quite a large area of the top end, so we're

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Speaker 2: concerned that it is more widespread than previously thought.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, right, So fifty five cases in feral pigs are

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Speaker 1: some of those cases quite recent.

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Speaker 2: The most of the surveillance was done sort of earlier

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Speaker 2: in the year, so they haven't they haven't been testing

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Speaker 2: just because of the ability to go out regular as

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Speaker 2: much recently. But yeah, some of them that they've all

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Speaker 2: been sort of tested this year now, Doctor Monock.

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Speaker 1: How is Japanese in cavalotis spread all passed on?

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Speaker 2: So it's it's spread through mosquito bites. So mosquitoes pick

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Speaker 2: it up from pigs, including feral pigs, and also from

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Speaker 2: water birds, so you know, that's why the risk is

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Speaker 2: greater around sort of water sources, and then they spread

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Speaker 2: it to humans through mosquitoes. It's not spread from person

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Speaker 2: to person via mosquitoes, but from pigs or from water

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Speaker 2: birds to mosquitoes and then onto people. So it's it's

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Speaker 2: really important to try to prevent getting infect getting bitten

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Speaker 2: by mosquitoes, and not just for Japanese and cavalitis. Obviously,

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Speaker 2: there's other diseases that can spread by mosquitoes, So using

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Speaker 2: insect repellents and covering up with long sleeved shirts and pants,

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Speaker 2: staying inside at night time or at dust get those

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Speaker 2: really you know, bity times, I guess.

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Speaker 1: And how serious is the virus because a lot of

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Speaker 1: people listening this morning are going to be thinking, Oh,

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Speaker 1: it sounds a bit unusual. I don't know exactly what

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Speaker 1: it is. Is there any real risk to me?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? So, look, it is. It's rare, but it and

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Speaker 2: it is mostly asymptomatic, so most people who get it

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Speaker 2: won't get symptoms, but about one percent of people who

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Speaker 2: get symptoms can sorry, one percent of people who get

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Speaker 2: infected get symptoms, and they can get quite sick. So

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Speaker 2: it can result in quite severe brain damage and occasionally

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Speaker 2: even death.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Wow, so it is certainly something that we need

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Speaker 1: to be keeping a close eye on and treating seriously.

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Speaker 1: Is there anything else that we should know about by

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Speaker 1: way of an update, or you know, anything else that

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Speaker 1: we should sort of be aware of.

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Speaker 2: So we have got some vaccine for Japanese and caphalitis,

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Speaker 2: and we're rolling that out to really high risk areas,

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Speaker 2: so including the places where the people have been infected,

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Speaker 2: so that the communities where the people the cases have

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Speaker 2: been infected already, and then other high risk remote communities,

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Speaker 2: and also to people who are working with directly with

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Speaker 2: mosquitoes and feral peaks. So that's sort of the strategy

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Speaker 2: that we've got at the moment, and we'll be working

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Speaker 2: on vaccinating those people. So anyone who is eligible will

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Speaker 2: be contacted.

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Speaker 1: Well, doctor Jackie Murdoch, the Chief Health Officer, We really

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Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much for having

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Speaker 1: a chat with us.

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Speaker 2: Thanks so much, Katie, Thank you